Ace Sushi operates as a chef-run food department inside a third-party Host Venue. The franchisee prepares approved Proprietary Products at a Main Sushi Bar, keeps the display stocked, and may supply nearby Satellite Stores; the Venue Owner handles most checkout, while Ace Sushi Franchise Corporation and Asiana Management Group control the site relationship, supply chain, standards, data, and settlement process.
The central mechanism is not a freestanding restaurant sale. A trained operator produces and merchandises sushi and approved Asian-fusion items inside a grocery store or other Host Venue; shoppers pay through the Venue Owner's register, and monthly Gross Sushi Sales reports drive the calculation of the franchisee's Commissions after contractually defined Expenses.
What does an Ace Sushi franchise sell, and who buys it?
The Main Sushi Bar sells approved raw and cooked sushi, Asian-fusion food, and any required program items to shoppers already using the Host Venue.
The contractual offering is limited to Proprietary Products and other goods Ace approves. The public Ace Sushi consumer site describes grab-and-go packages and made-to-order items, while the official menu lists rolls, combos, poke products, vegetarian choices, and Asian-fusion items.
Optional program addenda
The Hot Food Program may add ramen, rice bowls, noodle bowls, and approved hot plates. The Fresh Juice Program may add designated fresh-juice products. Participation depends on the applicable Sushi Supply Agreement and a signed addendum; these are not universal menu rights.
Channel limits
The official menu promotes catering at brand level, but the Franchise Agreement prohibits a franchisee from providing catering without prior consent. Wholesale distribution and internet sales outside the Franchised Location or approved Satellite Stores also require authorization. The contract, not the public menu, controls franchisee permissions.
How does work move through the unit?
The operating cycle connects Host Venue traffic, controlled purchasing, on-site preparation, Venue Owner checkout, and franchisor-accessible reporting.
- Actor
- Venue Owner, franchisee, shoppers
- Action
- Venue advertising, approved displays, sampling, and in-store traffic generate selections or made-to-order requests.
- System/asset
- Host Venue merchandising space and approved promotional materials
- Output
- Expected product demand for the Main Sushi Bar
- Actor
- Franchisee, Ace, AMG, approved distributors
- Action
- The franchisee orders Proprietary Products, packaging, labels, uniforms, and required supplies through designated channels and maintains sufficient inventory.
- System/asset
- Website-based ordering, Dashboard and Management Controls, approved supplier list
- Output
- Conforming ingredients and supplies ready for production
- Actor
- Trained sushi chef and unit staff
- Action
- Staff prepare approved recipes, apply price and ingredient labels, package products, stock cases, and follow food-safety and freshness procedures.
- System/asset
- Main Sushi Bar, label machine, approved equipment, Confidential Operations Manual
- Output
- Sale-ready Proprietary Products in the Host Venue
- Actor
- Main Sushi Bar staff
- Action
- Pre-packaged products are prepared at the Main Sushi Bar and delivered to each assigned Satellite Store no later than 10:30 a.m.
- System/asset
- NSF-approved Camcarrier and approved delivery arrangement
- Output
- Stocked off-site display without an on-site sushi chef
- Actor
- Shopper and Host Venue cashier
- Action
- Customers present products at the Host Venue register. The cashier scans the sale; in limited arrangements, delivered products may instead be invoiced.
- System/asset
- Venue Owner point-of-sale or invoicing process
- Output
- Scanned Sales or Invoiced Sales records
- Actor
- Venue Owner, AMG, Ace, franchisee
- Action
- The Venue Owner reports Gross Sushi Sales and remits proceeds under the Sushi Supply Agreement. Ace or AMG calculates Commissions, applies Expenses, issues the monthly statement, and can poll or audit operating data.
- System/asset
- Sales reports, website platform, electronic records
- Output
- Monthly settlement and an auditable operating record
Contract basis: 2026 FDD, Items 1, 6, 11, and 16, pp. 1–2, 10–16, 32–37, and 41–42; Franchise Agreement §§4.1–4.2, 7.4–7.6; Satellite Store Addendum §2.
Can the unit be manager-run, or must the owner work in it?
Personal participation is required; the model is not disclosed as absentee-operated.
Item 15 requires the franchisee to participate actively. Under the Single Unit Program, only the franchisee may be the principal operator unless Ace approves otherwise. The Main Sushi Bar must always be managed by the franchisee or a full-time management employee who completed the Initial Training Program and Onsite Training Program.
The Franchise Agreement adds two continuing staffing controls: at least one full-time employee must hold the minimum required training, and a trained sushi chef must staff the Main Sushi Bar. The franchisee remains the employer and controls hiring, firing, pay, scheduling, supervision, recordkeeping, and discipline.
For an Area Developer, each location operates under its own Franchise Agreement. An operator with more than five Stores must employ a Certified Trainer and operate a Certified Training Facility, while still remaining responsible for training and supervising employees across the developed units.
Contract basis: 2026 FDD, Item 15, p. 41; Franchise Agreement §§3.12, 6.2, 7.12, and 7.17; Area Development Agreement §5.D, p. 8.
Who performs each operating function?
The franchisee runs food production and labor; Ace and AMG control the operating framework and commercial interfaces; the Venue Owner supplies the host environment and checkout path.
Franchisee
- Prepare, label, merchandise, and replenish approved products.
- Hire, train, schedule, supervise, and pay unit employees.
- Maintain cleanliness, equipment, inventory, permits, and food-safety compliance.
- Deliver to assigned Satellite Stores and keep them stocked.
- Select selling prices, subject to any lawful maximum-price right preserved in the agreement.
Ace and AMG
- Select or accept sites and negotiate most Sushi Supply Agreements.
- Supply Proprietary Products and designated equipment through AMG or approved distributors.
- Set operating, menu, preparation, labeling, technology, and quality standards.
- Provide training, supplier lists, advisory support, inspections, and Venue Owner liaison.
- Collect or process reported sales, calculate Commissions, and access operating data.
Venue Owner and third parties
- Provide the Host Venue, and generally the display, storage, and work area.
- Set Host Venue hours and may impose Performance Criteria or sampling requirements.
- Run checkout, produce Scanned Sales reports, and remit funds under the Sushi Supply Agreement.
- Conduct customary Host Venue advertising.
- Provide audits, customer-insight services, mobile ordering, or approved supply functions when designated.
Which suppliers, assets, and systems are mandatory?
The supply chain is highly controlled, and the required technology gives Ace and AMG direct visibility into operating records.
AMG and its distributors are the sole suppliers of Proprietary Products and multiple designated inputs, including certain refrigerated equipment, label machines and templates, marketing materials, utensils, uniforms, containers, lids, and labels. Produce and some locally sourced items may follow approved-source rules. A proposed supplier cannot be used until Ace evaluates and approves it in writing.
Approved refrigerated assets, utensils, packaging, uniforms, and optional sushi robot.
Price and ingredient labels must follow the approved product and pricing setup.
Ordering, inventory controls, training, communications, statements, and compliance functions.
Time and attendance, email, sales reporting, electronic records, and franchisor data access.
Ace may require new hardware, software, mobile-ordering applications, electronic document systems, and replacements without a contractual cap on upgrade frequency. The franchisee must maintain the connection and records; Ace has independent access for daily polling, audit, and sales verification.
Official public materials support the product-control function: the brand publishes an official nutrition guide and an official allergen guide. These public documents are operational references, but they do not replace current specifications in the Confidential Operations Manual.
Contract basis: 2026 FDD, Items 8 and 11, pp. 25–27 and 32–36; Franchise Agreement §§7.4, 7.6, 7.8–7.10.
How do the three traditional programs differ?
All three use the Main Sushi Bar operating system, but they differ in unit count, site sourcing, and off-site fulfillment.
| Program | Operating base | Material difference |
|---|---|---|
| Single Unit Program | One Main Sushi Bar at a Franchised Location selected by Ace. | One host-site production and merchandising operation; no protected territory. |
| Satellite Store Program | Main Sushi Bar plus assigned Satellite Stores. | Main-unit staff prepare and deliver pre-packaged products; no sushi chef works at the Satellite Store. Ace may require up to two locations within 20 miles. |
| Area Development Program | Multiple Main Sushi Bars and Satellite Stores, each under a separate Franchise Agreement or addendum. | The Area Developer proposes Host Venues subject to acceptance and follows a Development Schedule. A Territorial Rights Addendum for a 40-or-more-unit program limits certain physical development but preserves broad Reserved Rights. |
A standard franchise is site-specific and non-exclusive. Ace and its affiliates may operate or license nearby locations, internet and alternative channels, National Accounts, Special Sites, and competing systems. Even a Development Area does not give the developer customer ownership or control over Reserved Rights.
Contract basis: 2026 FDD, Items 1 and 12, pp. 1–3 and 37–38; Franchise Agreement §§1.1–1.8; Territorial Rights Addendum §§1–3.
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
The 2025 year-end network reported in the traditional FDD was predominantly franchised, with AMG operating the company-owned population.
Interpretation: operating execution is distributed primarily to franchisees, while Ace and AMG retain centralized control over Host Venue contracting, product supply, standards, technology, and settlement.
Source: 2026 Ace Sushi traditional FDD, Item 20, Table No. 1, p. 48. Calculation: 541 + 48 = 589; percentages rounded to one decimal and reconcile to 100.0%.
Which decisions remain with the franchisee?
The franchisee controls labor and day-to-day execution inside a tightly specified product, site, supplier, technology, and reporting framework.
The franchisee decides whom to employ, how to schedule and supervise staff, and—subject to the agreement's lawful maximum-price provision—what prices to charge. It also remains responsible for product preparation, local compliance, inventory sufficiency, equipment upkeep, customer service, and satisfying any disclosed Venue Owner Performance Criteria.
Ace controls what may be sold, which recipes and methods apply, approved suppliers, required inventory introductions, operating standards, technology changes, advertising approval, social-media use, Customer Data, audits, inspections, and corrective action. If contamination or serious sanitation failure occurs, the franchisee must stop operations and cannot resume until Ace's inspection and the applicable authorities permit it.
- Verify the Sushi Supply Agreement: term, termination notice, Host Venue compensation, operating hours, and Performance Criteria.
- Verify the location schedule: exact Main Sushi Bar, every Satellite Store, delivery distance, and 10:30 a.m. replenishment duty.
- Verify program scope: whether Hot Food, Fresh Juice, sampling, mobile ordering, or other required programs apply.
- Verify management approval: whether Ace will approve a full-time management employee instead of the franchisee as principal operator.
- Verify current systems: hardware specifications, Dashboard functions, data access, required applications, and upgrade obligations.
- Verify current sources: sole, designated, and approved suppliers; produce rules; automatic replenishment; and replacement equipment requirements.
Official operating references
See the official U.S. franchise page, brand operating overview, consumer offering page, official menu and catering page, nutrition guide, and allergen guide.
Operating-model synthesis. Ace Sushi converts Host Venue shopper traffic into Scanned Sales by placing a trained sushi-production team inside the venue. The franchisee's central responsibility is consistent, safe preparation and stocking; the strongest dependency is Ace and AMG's control of the Sushi Supply Agreement, Proprietary Products, systems, and settlement records. The decisive format distinction is whether the Main Sushi Bar must also replenish Satellite Stores. The largest undisclosed operating question is the location-specific Host Venue arrangement—especially its term, performance thresholds, hours, space, and termination rights.